I’d like to say that after Grace left my office I didn’t think of her again, and that I kept my professional self intact, but unfortunately, that didn’t exactly happen. Grace wasn’t the kind of woman who was easily forgotten. I found myself thinking about her quite a bit, which surprised me. I wasn’t the kind of man who was easily affected by my clients, but there was something different about her and I wanted to see her again. Knowing that I couldn’t jeopardize my career, I used the internet to help ease my desires and Googled her name. After reading a few articles that I’d found written by Grace, I became more and more intrigued by her. It was then that I realized my fixation had reached an unhealthy level. I was invading her privacy and breaking all kinds of clinical boundaries in the process. It was time for me to put all thoughts of Grace behind me, and whether I liked it or not, I had to accept the fact that nothing more could come from our brief encounter.

Over the next few months, I spent most of my time and energy focusing on my work. I booked more clients, attended several conferences, and started working out at the gym again. I was busy and that’s the way I wanted it.

After a long and restless night, I decided to hit the gym early in hopes that it might help take the edge off my tension. After changing into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, I headed straight for the elliptical. Just as I started to work up a sweat, someone hopped on the machine to my left. Normally it wasn’t something I would’ve even noticed, especially on crowded mornings like this, but the minute she started her machine, I found myself turning and looking in her direction. She was in her mid to late sixties with perfectly curled, blonde hair and enough make-up to put Tammy Faye Bakker to shame. Her tight fitting spandex leggings and halter-top showed off every inch of her figure, and while she was in great shape, the neon colors of her outfit weren’t doing her any favors. When she caught me looking at her, a wide smile spread across her face as she said, “Well, hi there.”

I nodded. “Morning.”

“You sure are a handsome thing.”

“Why, thank you. That’s mighty nice of you to say.”

I smiled at the little cougar, then tried to turn my attention back to my workout. As soon as I started to adjust the intensity level on my machine, she asked, “Do you come here to workout often?”

“Yes, ma’am. Every morning.”

“Well, that explains why you’re in such good shape.” I nodded and listened as she continued, “I’ve been trying to do better, but it seems like I can come up with just about any excuse not to go to the gym. The weather. A show on TV. Nothing to wear. I really need to stop that.”

Still smiling, I nodded once again and said, “Don’t feel bad. I think it’s like that for everyone.”

Before she could respond I felt someone nudge my side, and when I looked over I found my older brother, Colton, standing on the elliptical to my right. He was a big shot lawyer, and with his busy schedule he rarely found time to do anything other than work, much less make it to the gym. Surprised to see him, I said, “Well, look what the cat dragged in!”

“Yeah. I’m hanging by a thread this morning.”

Even though it was typical for Colton to spend too much time at the office, he was looking particularly rough this morning with his pale complexion and dark circles under his eyes. “All that partying is going to catch up with you one of these days.”

“Yeah. I wish that was the case. Hell, this case is about to bust my ass.”

“I’m sure you’ll get a handle on it. You always do.”

“I hope you’re right.” He started to pick up his pace on the elliptical. “I really need to win this one.”

“You say that about every case, and you always win.”

A proud smile crossed his face as he replied, “And what’s wrong with winning?”

“Never said there was anything wrong with winning. Just think you should get out and enjoy life a little.”

“Maybe you should take some of your own advice, little brother. From what I’ve heard, you’ve been working a lot lately, too.”

“Touché. Touché. We both need to do better.”

“You know, there’s a music festival downtown this weekend. It’s supposed to be a lot of fun.”

We both turned and found Tammy Faye staring at us with a bright smile on her face. It was clear that she’d been listening in on our conversation when she said, “You two should check it out. Like you said, you both could use a break, especially after working as hard as you do.”

Not knowing exactly how to respond to our nosey neighbor, I replied, “Thanks. We might just do that.”

Colton cocked his eyebrow and asked, “Is that right? And when was the last time you went to a music festival?”

“I don’t know. It’s been a while I guess.”

“Yeah, since we were kids,” he grumbled under his breath. “I think I’ll pass. I’d rather be at work.”

I glanced over and felt a twinge of guilt when I noticed she was no longer smiling. Fearing that Colton might hurt the sweet lady’s feelings even more, I suggested, “Why don’t we head over and do some bench presses?”

As I hoped, he agreed. After giving the lady a quick side wave goodbye, I followed him to the other side of the gym where we spent the rest of the morning working out without any interruptions. It was good to see Colton and catch up, and it was even better to start off my day with a clear head. Over the next few weeks I saw a lot of Colton, but I saw even more of my new elliptical friend. It seemed like every time I turned around, I’d find her working out on the machine next to me with a big smile on her face. One way or another, she’d find a way to strike up a conversation. At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of her, but as I got to know her a bit better I didn’t mind our little talks. In fact, they made the time go by faster. She’d ask about my favorite movies or what kind of music I liked, and before I knew it, an hour had passed, and it would be time for me to go.

For the most part she kept things simple, but on one particular morning she seemed extra inquisitive, asking more personal questions than she normally did. At first, I was hesitant to answer but eventually decided that there was no harm in doing so. “Do you have any children?”

“No, ma’am. I don’t have any kids.”

“I have two girls.” She was steadily trucking along on that damn elliptical as she continued, “And you have plenty of time for children. You’re only … what twenty-eight … twenty-nine?”

“I’m thirty.”

“Well, I was pretty close.” She smiled proudly. “Are you married or seeing anyone special?”

Her questions were starting to make me feel a little uneasy, and I really hoped she wasn’t hitting on me. “No. I’m not married.”

She flipped on her fan, causing her hair to blow away from her face and shoulders like a Farrah Fawcett commercial as she purred, “I can’t believe that! You’re quite the catch. I’m surprised some sharp girl hasn’t snatched you up by now.”

“I guess I just haven’t come across the right woman yet.”

“She’ll come soon enough.” After she turned off her machine, she stepped down and walked over to me. I was astounded by the fact that even after a steady workout, her makeup and hair were still perfectly intact. My focus was on her thick blue eyeliner, and I almost missed her saying, “I just realized I haven’t told you my name. I’m Rita Parker.”

“Oh.” I slowed my steps long enough to extend my hand. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Rita. I’m Seth.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to your workout, Seth. I hope you have a great rest of the day.”

“And the same to you, Rita.”

After I finished my workout, I took a quick shower and got dressed for work. I had an early appointment with a new patient, and I wanted to get to the office with some extra time to look over his paperwork. As I was headed towards my car, I heard someone call out my name. When I turned to see who it was, I found Rita Parker rushing across the parking lot. When I noticed the eager look on her face, I started to worry that the innocent little cougar might not be so harmless after all. As much as I liked my gym and how close it was to my office, I might have to find a new place or start working out at a different time just so I could avoid her. Hoping that it wouldn’t come to that, I waited patiently as she approached me.

“I really hate to bother you, but I was hoping that I might talk to you for just a minute.”

“Right now really isn’t a good time, Rita. I have a meeting in half an hour.”

“It won’t take long. I promise,” she assured me.

“What do you have on your mind?”

“You know how you mentioned that you haven’t met that special woman yet?”

Every muscle in my body grew tense, and I barely managed to reply, “Yeah?”

“Well, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

I really didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but she needed to know that I simply wasn’t interested in her—not even a little. Trying my best not to sound like an asshole, I told her, “Rita, I’m really flattered that you’d want to go out with me, but I really think that—”

“What? No! I don’t want to go out with you,” she interrupted. “That’s not what I meant at all. I was talking about my daughter.”

“Your daughter?”

“Yes. I really think you two would hit it off,” she explained. “She’s a beautiful girl. Smart and funny. I just think you would adore her.”

“You think so, huh?” I was completely wrong about her. I never dreamed that she’d have a daughter who she was trying to pawn off, and at that moment, I would’ve paid a million dollars for an unexpected telephone call. Hell, I would’ve taken a fucking tornado siren if it would’ve gotten me away from her, but there was no escape. “So, your daughter is aware that you’d like for us to meet?”

“Oh, no. She has no idea. At least, not yet. I was going to talk to her about it later today.” She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. After flipping through several pictures, she turned the screen to me and said, “This is my daughter.”

When I looked at her phone, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Rita had mentioned her daughters before, but in a million years I’d never imagine that one of them could be her. As I stood there staring at those gorgeous blue eyes, I thought about the ramifications of going on a date with her. She had been a patient. She’d confided in me, and my career could be at stake. But considering so much time had passed, and the fact that she was no longer my patient, I decided I had to take a chance. There was no way I could let a woman like Grace slip through my fingers, especially when fate had given me another chance. “Your daughter is very beautiful.”

“Thank you, dear. I think so, too.” Returning her phone to her purse, she looked back to me and asked, “So, do you think you would like to meet her?”

“Oh, yes. I would like that very much,” I answered. “But I have a favor I'd like to ask.”